If only
by thestralsheartmaltesers
Summary: If only Sakura had befriended Naruto when they were younger, how would things change? And what's this about Sakura being a demon tamer? AU Strong Sakura. Pairings are up to you, but be warned I might disregard them if I think of a good plotline for one. I DON'T OWN NARUTO.
1. Meetings

If only: Chapter 1

Naruto sat there on the swing not moving a muscle, as he watched the other children run around and play the classic game of tag. He was used to all of this; soon the playground would clear and he'd go back home, get ready for bed, and start another day. But something he wasn't used to was the great pink blob bouncing through the air. WHAT? Bouncing through the air? Naruto looked at the blob again as he saw a little girl about his age running toward him with a great big smile on her face. 'Hi,' she suddenly blurted out, 'I'm Sakura, what's your name?' Naruto couldn't believe his eyes, or ears, someone was actually being nice to him? 'N-Naruto,' he managed to stammer out but quickly looked at the ground, expecting her to run away from him just like all the other kids did. 'You wanna play with me?' she questioned suddenly shy. Naruto looked at her like she was out of her mind, but Sakura got the wrong idea. 'Oh, alright, its okay you don't have to play with me, I just wanted to make some friends that's all,' she said with tears in her eyes threatening to spill. She turned around and walked away, presumably to go back home. 'Wait,' said Naruto with a huge smile that rivalled the Cheshire cat 'what do you want to play?' 'Ummmmmm... TAG!' Naruto's grin grew wider as that was the game that he always wanted to play but it needs more than one person. Suddenly Sakura walked over to him solemnly and he closed his eyes expecting the worst. He soon felt a light tap on his forehead and he opened his eyes to find Sakura running away from him yelling, 'YOU'RE IT!'

Naruto would remember that day as the best in his life. He and Sakura had played till it got dark. He remembered Sakura telling him that she was enrolling at the Ninja Academy in the fall so he decided to as well. As he was heating his Insta-Ramen a thought came to him. What would it be like to be the best ninja around? Everybody would have to respect him and look up to him. With that in mind he decided on a life time goal, he would be Hokage. He brushed his teeth and quickly got into bed because tomorrow was a long day as he and Sakura were planning to play ninja the whole day.

Naruto and Sakura met at the playground the next morning at the swings which they had appointed as their meeting place. They planned to spend the whole day together but something put a stop to their plans. Or, rather, someone. They heard a sound of metal entering something in a nearby meadow and decided to go and check it out. Naruto wanted to run in and find out who it was but Sakura stopped him. 'Naruto-kun if you barge in then you might get hit by whatever they're throwing,' Sakura said but Naruto wasn't paying attention because he was blushing at the honorific she had used. 'So let's hide up that tree and find out who it is.'

'Right Sakura-chan let's go with your plan... but how are going to get up there. There are no branches.'

'By chakra, silly'

'Okay! Um... what's catra?'

'Well... chakra is this kind of force inside you that lets you do amazing things. Like climb this tree.' She then channelled her chakra into her feet and walked up it while Naruto gaped at her amazed. 'Can you teach me? Huh, can you?'

'Sure. First imagine some energy is flowing into your feet,'

'Okay... nuts all it did was make me want to pee,'

'Concentrate Naruto-kun I know you can do it'

Naruto concentrated really hard and then looked down. His feet were glowing blue. 'Now run up the tree' Sakura yelled. Naruto run up the tree focusing as hard as he could, but he broke the tree and fell down to the ground. 'Who's there?' a certain young Uchiha called out and came to investigate. He spotted Naruto and asked angrily 'were you spying on me?'

'Um... no?'

He saw red and threw his kunai but it was blocked by a kunai with a pink tip knocking off course. 'Don't you dare try to hurt Naruto-kun again.' Sasuke looked up to see a very angry pinkette with eyes blazing with fury glaring at him. Sasuke gulped because he knew she would kill him if he tried anything.

'**Let's kill him now and hide his body in the bushes! CHA!'**

'_Inner me, you know Mommy said we can't kill anyone'_

'**Yet...'**

'Who are you,' Sasuke asked in awe, even he couldn't throw a kunai that well. 'Sakura Haruno, believe it.' She jumped down from the tree and put out a hand toward Naruto, helping him up. 'Come on Naruto-kun, let's go,' she said and they walked away.

As they were walking back to Naruto's house after playing all day they spotted this huge building. _'I can't wait to start there,' _Sakura thought as they passed the Ninja Academy and turned a corner. Suddenly, Sakura stopped dead in her tracks and she saw that annoying duckbutt-headed guy do the same. His older brother noticed them glaring at each other and stooped down next to his brother. 'Go apologize,' Itachi said to Sasuke.

'Huh- whatdya Itachi,' Sasuke replied not believing what he had heard.

'You obviously did something to annoy her, otherwise she wouldn't be glaring at you so harshly,' Sasuke then walked up to her as slowly as he could and stuck out a hand. Mentally glaring at his brother he said, 'I apologize for trying to kill your friend, Sakura Haruno,'

To his surprise she yelled out, 'NARUTO-KUN, HUDDLE!' after which they made a little semicircle with their backs to him and even more to his surprise he found himself wishing he was there in their group. _'Uchihas don't have friends Sasuke' _he chided himself and looked up to see Sakura standing in front of him again apparently having made a decision. 'Listen up duckbutt I only forgive you because Naruto-kun told me to' at this point Sasuke looked at the guy he tried to kill and saw 'Naruto-kun' looking at him, smiling 'but if you ever try to hurt him again, I will not just block your kunai, I will use it against you,' he again looked up to Sakura glaring at him. 'Sakura-chan, forgive him already,' Naruto said. His eyes widened as Sakura then hugged him. 'That's my forgiving hug, so everything's all right between us,' said a smiling Sakura. 'Why don't you play with us tomorrow?' asked Naruto as he and Sakura ran off, 'be at the swings by ten, okay.' Sasuke stared after them shocked, he had just made friends. 


	2. Changes

**A/N: Hi guys so yeah this is the second chapter. For any of you who have been waiting for this, sorry! I know I have no real excuses, but this chapter was really hard to write as you will see soon. Also, thanks to 'Yuuki-Hime 2097' FOR BEING MY FIRST EVER REVIEWER! So, please, I've seen loads of favourites and stuff (thanks for those too) but please review! So, yeah, review, appreciate the amount of writer's block I was going through, and if you wanna send me a flame, make sure to send along marshmallows too. (That rhymed xD) **

Chapter 2

Sakura was skipping back home as usual on the night that changed her life. _'I wonder what Mommy's made for dinner; I'm hungry after fighting with duck head'_

'**If you had just killed him in the first place we wouldn't have met him again now would we?' **

'_Stop sulking, Mommy said I have to learn how to control you'_

'_**Still, I'm telling you I don't like that Duck-butt guy!'**_

'_I don't care if you don't like him, it's just because he's got the Sharingan and you don't!'_

'_**What do I care if he's got some swirling red eye, I could beat him in my sleep! CHA! Take that Duck-butt! **_

'_Whatever'_

'_**Don't you whatever me, young lady!'**_

'_Whatever'_

'_**STOP THAT! Or I'll... make you think thoughts when you're trying to sleep! MUAHAHAHAHAHAHA!**_

'_You wouldn't! _

'_**HAHA, yes I would! I am Inner Sakura, Queen of Evil, bow down before me and your dreams will be spared!'**_

'_That's an all-time low, Inner me, I'm gonna ignore you now.'_

'_**What!? You can't ignore me! I'm Inner Sakura, Queen o-'**_

'_Whatever.'_

'_**SAKURAAAAAAAAAAA!'**_

Sakura didn't hear the rest of what Inner had to say (which was probably good because most would have to be censored) because at that moment, she opened the door and screamed.

Standing over her mother was a man, no not a man, that word is too human to describe that thing. The thing looked at her, and she froze. The eyes were that of a snake, penetrating her own thoughts. The thing slithered over to her and as it drew closer to she gasped when she saw her father in a pool of blood, a kunai still in his hands, one with a red tip, symbolizing his hair. The thing gradually closed the gap between them and whispered, 'Your kekkai genkai will develop after thissss, remember thisss for the resst of your life. You will be ussss-efull.'

That was when she ran.

Her tears were still coming fast as she ran to the first that came in to her mind. Naruto's house. To say that he was surprised to find his favourite pinkette barrelling in to him as soon as he opened the door would be an understatement. But, as any good friend would do he took her inside, gave her a mug of hot chocolate, and hugged her. 'What should I do?' Naruto thought, holding a still crying Sakura. He was saved from answering that question as the 3rd Hokage appeared at his door in a flurry of leaves. 'Naruto, may I come in?' the Hokage asked pleasantly, his eyes already searching for head of pink hair he knew he would find inside. He held Sakura after she had barrelled into him, and tried to make a decision. He knew that the elders would want to add her to the ranks of the ninja, but Danzo would be sure to add her to ROOT. An idea struck him, what this girl needed was a mother, and he had the perfect person. 'Summon Tsunade,' he said to an ANBU standing next to him, and quickly returned his attention to the girl clutching him. 'Sakura, shh- it's alright, I know someone who can take care of you, would you like that?' At that moment, Tsunade entered the room, searching for her sensei. 'Sarutobi-sensei, why did you call me here?' but before she could be answered she was being barrelled into. 'Her parents were killed by Orochimaru earlier this evening, and she escaped somehow.' _So why am I here,_ Tsunade thought, before it struck her. She had told her sensei that she and Dan hoped to be parents, before that fateful day that took his life. She glanced down at the head of pink that was sobbing into her, and rubbed the little girl's back soothingly. The sobs soon subsided and she looked back at her sensei, 'I'll do it,' and then knelt down in front of Sakura. 'Hey kid, my name is Tsunade, and I'm going to take care of you.' Sakura removed her face from Tsunade's shirt and looked up. 'You're going to be my new Mommy?' she asked, her eyes rimmed with red. 'Will you be Naruto's too?' Tsunade turned to look around for her new daughter's friend, and was shocked to see the Jinchuriki. _You have an interesting choice in friends, kiddo. _'I'm fine, Sakura-chan, really. I'm used to living by myself,' Naruto said with his trademark grin. 'Well, alright, if you say so Naruto-kun,' Sakura said reluctantly, still looking hesitant, wiping the last tear tracks away from her face. 'The kid knows what's best for him, Cherry, let him do what he wants,' Tsunade said, smirking at the duo. _And besides, you two might just get to the stage where being brother and sister is more of a hindrance than a help! _She was drawn out of her thoughts by her old sensei, when he said, 'Right, I'll be off then Tsunade, you see to Sakura and Naruto.' Tsunade nodded and then turned to see Sakura tugging on her skirt, 'What's up, Cherry?' she asked her new daughter. 'Why do you call me that, Mommy?'

'Its cause your hair looks like a light cherry, Cherry.'

'But… cherries are red!'

'That's why I said light, Kiddo.'

Sarutobi watched on with a slight smile, as he walked out of Naruto's house. He'd made a good decision.

Sasuke was nervous. He wasn't used to being nervous. He had gotten to the swings at 9:30 the next morning, early so they couldn't start without him. He was waiting for about 15 minutes before the kid he had thrown his kunai at, '_Naruto, that's what his name was,'_ walked up to him. 'Hey, duck-butt,' Naruto started to say, but was interrupted by Sasuke.

'My name isn't duck-butt.'

Naruto looked thrown off for a second and then grinned. 'Then what is it?'

'Uchiha Sasuke.'

'Alright then, Sasuke, Sakura-chan is going to be a bit late today. She has to settle into her new home, her mom said that she should be her at around 11.'

Sasuke nodded, but had many questions running around his 6 year old brain. Why did Sakura have to move anyway?

While he was debating to himself Naruto had crept up behind him and yelled 'BOO!' Sasuke jumped and then glared his best Uchiha glare at Naruto (he had been practicing in his free time) which to say the least was quite impressive on a 6 year old. 'Sooooo…. What do you want to play before Sakura-chan gets here?' Naruto asked. _Play?, Sasuke_ thought but didn't give Naruto the satisfaction of knowing he was confused. 'What do you want to play?' he asked instead. Naruto thought for a second before blurting out his favourite game to play with Sakura. 'TAG!' the hyperactive blond yelled out. Before Sasuke knew what was going on Naruto had tapped him on the arm and ran away. He growled and ran, chasing after Naruto.

After a few rounds of each of them being 'it', Sasuke was once again chasing Naruto, when to his shock Naruto ran straight up a tree. _ What! How does he know that?! Nii-san said that only I would know how to do that in the Academy. _'I taught him how to do that.' He turned and saw Sakura, her cherry locks blowing slightly in the wind. She smiled at him, 'I assume you know how to do that already?' her tone confirming instead of questioning. 'Yeah, nii-san taught it to me so I could be ahead of everyone else in the academy,' Sasuke responded, _but how do you know it, Sakura? _

He didn't get the chance to ask her because right then a bright yellow blur crashed into Sakura. 'SAKURA-CHAAAN! Is your mommy taking good care of you?'

'Yes, Naruto-kun, new Mommy is nice, but she said that I have to do this thing called therapy cause I had nightmares last night.'

'Oh, were they bad?'

'I don't want to talk about it Naruto-kun.'

Sasuke was feeling quite left out by this point, and so decided to interject. 'I thought we came here to play.'

Sakura looked at Sasuke, and said, 'I'd forgotten about you.' This, obviously, didn't go down so well in Sasuke's book. 'Well, it was kinda hard to forget you, what with your pink hair and all.' Okay, so not his best insult. To his surprise, Sakura actually laughed. 'Fine, let's play!'


End file.
